Chico mortgage broker gets nearly 4 years for fraud

SACRAMENTO — The former operator of Empire Mortgage in Chico was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison for a fraud scheme.

A jury convicted Kesha Danine Fortune Haynie, 41, on March 28 of two counts of mail fraud, according to a U.S. Department of Justice press release.

Haynie was involved with the scheme along with mortgage brokers Garret Griffith Gililland and Shane Burreson, builder Tony Symmes and developer William Baker.

In 2007, Haynie originated fraudulent loan applications in connection with a scheme that gave cash back to the buyers, according to the DOJ. She promised buyers kickbacks from a Chico builder in exchange for purchasing the homes.

The day after the close of escrow, the builder would write checks averaging $41,000 to the conspirators, the DOJ reported. Haynie and her co-conspirators would then pay the buyers up to $29,000 and divide the remainder among themselves. The kickbacks were not disclosed to lenders, escrow officers or home appraisers.

Evidence also showed that Haynie participated in submitting false documents to mortgage lenders in order to obtain the loans, according to the DOJ.

The scam began unraveling when indoor marijuana grows were discovered in the homes occupied by residents living for free until the homes foreclosed. The names of Gililland and Tony Symmes came up many times in those cases.